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I've been back home from Vietnam for two weeks now, and what I miss most about Vietnam is the food (my loving and dear family members are a close second). The foods I miss most are the simple home cooked meals with ingredients that you can't find here in the States, one of which is La Giang.

La Giang, also called River Leaf, Sour-Sop Creeper or the more scientific name, Aganonerion Polymorphum, is a bushy shrub that grows to tall heights on trellis and poles. The foliage on this plant has a tart flavor and is often used in traditional Vietnamese soups (Canh Chua). It mainly grows in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. So during my recent trip to Vietnam, I made sure to bring some home with me. The leaves were boiled, frozen, and tucked neatly into my check-in baggage. Now when I have that craving for Canh Chua, I just thaw out my frozen boiled La Giang and I'm ready to go.No other vegetables are necessary unlike other Canh Chua recipes. The tomato is simply for color. It is one version of Canh Chua that takes half the time to make (all you need is a plane ticket to Vietnam to get the ingredient).

Vietnamese Sour Soup with River Leaf (Canh Chua La Giang)

For the below recipe, I used La Giang in a sour Vietnamese Fish Soup (Canh Chua La Giang Nau Ca). La Giang also goes great in the chicken version of the soup (Canh Chua La Giang Nau Ga). For both versions,I use lots of chili peppers because hot and sour go together so well. If you can't find La Giang at the Asian grocery store or didn't smuggle them into the U.S. like I did, you can try a different version of this soup made with tamarind as the sour component. Happy eating!

Vietnamese Sour Soup with River Leaf (Canh Chua La Giang)

Vietnamese Sour Soup with River Leaf (Canh Chua La Giang)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Fish/Chicken Marinade

1 lb fish (whole or filet catfish, salmon or any fish of your choice. You can also use chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces)